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    <title>Opinions for Waynesboro News Virginian</title>
    <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/</link>
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        <title>Opinions for Waynesboro News Virginian</title>
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    <dc:language>en</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>Waynesboro News Virginian</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2009</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2009-07-06T00:01:26-05:00</dc:date>

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         <item>
          <title>Text avalanche shows I care. LOL</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/text_avalanche_shows_i_care._lol/42464/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Up until our 13-year-old daughter went to the beach with extended family and left my wife and me behind to fret about shark attacks, sunburn and teenage boys, I had, over the course of my life, sent no more than a dozen text messages.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:01:26 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Beware myths&#8217; hidden venom</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/beware_myths_hidden_venom/42463/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Step carefully along the trail, where myths slither and sometimes bite.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:01:18 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Living simply not a new idea</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/living_simply_not_a_new_idea/42449/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I read yet another one of those editorials about the joys of simple living.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:01:31 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Three Up, Three Down</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/three_up_three_down37/42448/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
THE FOURTH OF JULY EDITION           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:01:18 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/three_up_three_down37/42448/#When:04:01:18Z</guid>
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          <title>Open up, Citizen Kaine</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/open_up_citizen_kaine/42344/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
It&#8217;s good to be Timothy M. Kaine these days principally because he&#8217;s not Mark Sanford. Virginia&#8217;s governor, like his counterpart in South Carolina, gets around, but Kaine, in senses platonic and political. So while South Carolina proceeds with inquiries to determine whether Sanford, the skunk, spent taxpayer cash to pursue l&#8217;amour in Argentina, Virginia Republicans have halted nosing into the possible use of state tax money to aid Kaine&#8217;s cross-country politicking as Democratic National Committee chairman. C&#8217;est la vie.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:01:33 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/open_up_citizen_kaine/42344/#When:04:01:33Z</guid>
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          <title>Michael: Better than greats</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/michael_better_than_greats/42345/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
While having lunch several years ago, I told several co-workers that Michael Jackson would one day be considered the equal of Wolfgang Armadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Sebastian Bach. One of them was astonished that I&#8217;d make the statement. After Jackson&#8217;s sudden passing last week and taking into account not only America&#8217;s but the world&#8217;s reaction to it, I stand by my previous prediction.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:01:07 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/michael_better_than_greats/42345/#When:04:01:07Z</guid>
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          <title>Hey, amigo, get in front!</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/hey_amigo_get_in_front/42270/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
As time goes about healing wounds, the City Council&#8217;s so-called Three Amigos brandish pleasant public faces. This is a product of necessity: Majorities require their constituent parts to remain whole. But whatever the fellas might say when notebooks are open and tapes are rolling, this is plainly not the same trio who assumed power, and apparently other things, a year ago this morning.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:01:22 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>The evening Chicago lived</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/the_evening_chicago_lived/42225/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
President Barack Obama promised transparency but has delivered murk, stirred by votes cast in a blur.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:01:37 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/the_evening_chicago_lived/42225/#When:04:01:37Z</guid>
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          <title>A new worry &#8212; man&#45;eating pythons</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/a_new_worry_man-eating_pythons/42156/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
As the crow flies &#8212; or more appropriately as the snake slithers &#8212; the Savannah River Ecology Lab in South Carolina is roughly 200 miles from my house.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:01:48 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/a_new_worry_man-eating_pythons/42156/#When:04:01:48Z</guid>
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          <title>How profitable is government, exactly?</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/how_profitable_is_government_exactly/42153/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This letter is in regard to Nelson Graves&#8217; column (&#8220;Three cheers for government,&#8221; June 18).

Mr. Graves seems to think that with a Democrat leading the government the ever-falling Social Security fund doesn&#8217;t still owe $2 trillion to our trust fund in worthless IOU&#8217;s out in Parkersburg, W.Va., all because our government hasn&#8217;t taken the annual surplus of billions of dollars each year to put in the general fund. It has happened through many decades with both parties at fault.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:01:42 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/how_profitable_is_government_exactly/42153/#When:04:01:42Z</guid>
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          <title>Centrism safe approach</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/centrism_safe_approach/42152/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Whatever compromise it might engender, politics is more artful than art, evidenced by the ritual whir of campaign spin and a resulting diffusion of rhetorical miasma thick enough to slice. This explains the scenario that has Republican gubernatorial contender Bob McDonnell and Democratic foe R. Creigh Deeds drifting toward that gooey locus known as the center, chanting om and drawing near one another, philosophically now and maybe at the polls later, like last time.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:01:34 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/centrism_safe_approach/42152/#When:04:01:34Z</guid>
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          <title>Government&#45;run health insurance a bad idea</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/government-run_health_insurance_a_bad_idea/42155/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I&#8217;m afraid that Gene Lyons lost me in his June 22 column (&#8220;Sickly talk about fixing health care&#8221;) supporting President Barack Obama&#8217;s plan to establish a government-run health insurance plan, the purpose of which, to quote Obama, is to &#8220;keep the insurance industry honest.&#8221;            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:01:17 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/government-run_health_insurance_a_bad_idea/42155/#When:04:01:17Z</guid>
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          <title>Eric Vettell signs off as WWPL executive director</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/eric_vettell_signs_off_as_wwpl_executive_director/42154/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When I was younger and had the time and inclination, I would often go backpacking with friends. We tried to live by a simple rule: leave behind a better place than you found. It is a simple rule and I do my best to live up to it, to leave no burdens behind. Always.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:01:09 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/eric_vettell_signs_off_as_wwpl_executive_director/42154/#When:04:01:09Z</guid>
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          <title>Peacemakers reveal sameness</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/peacemakers_reveal_sameness/42127/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
A 13-year-old boy was recently suspended from his crumbling, inner-city middle school in Michigan.&nbsp; His family had immigrated to the United States because, in his words, &#8220;My parents wanted a better life for us than fighting. There is no government in Somalia, no army or police to keep the peace. Different tribes and groups of people were fighting and killing each other to gain power.&#8221;            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:01:54 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/peacemakers_reveal_sameness/42127/#When:04:01:54Z</guid>
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          <title>3 Up 3 Down</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down5/42126/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This week&#8217;s opinion marketplace           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:01:45 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down5/42126/#When:04:01:45Z</guid>
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          <title>To whom is Kaine loyal?</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/to_whom_is_kaine_loyal/42069/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Distant are the days when Gov. Timothy M. Kaine whisked across the commonwealth in the empyreal embrace of Barack Obama&#8217;s presidential candidacy, or what may be called America&#8217;s Third Great Awakening, a time, like the second, when women swooned, spirits waxed euphoric and reason rested. His hopes of landing on the ticket with Obama cast into a state budget chasm, Kaine today plays out strings while muddy water seeps under the door. Now he hopes only to avoid getting wet.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:01:39 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/to_whom_is_kaine_loyal/42069/#When:04:01:39Z</guid>
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          <title>Some smart ideas on growth</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/some_smart_ideas_on_growth/41982/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I applaud Augusta County supervisors&#8217; decision to hire an economic development director, a move that will increase the county&#8217;s tax base and job opportunities for the area&#8217;s unemployed. But I have several questions.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:01:23 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/some_smart_ideas_on_growth/41982/#When:04:01:23Z</guid>
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          <title>Despite ruling, a stain clings</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/despite_ruling_a_stain_clings/41981/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Amid the fading furor over the killing of Kansas abortion doctor George Tiller, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a state ban on a procedure in which he specialized, partial-birth abortion. Tiller&#8217;s slaying was heinous and deserves full punishment under the law. The acts in which Tiller practiced were legal in Kansas, but barbaric. Virginia lawmakers were right to outlaw partial-birth abortion, and the Fourth Circuit to affirm them. One wicked act cannot make others just.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/despite_ruling_a_stain_clings/41981/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>No Child fails logic</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/no_child_fails_logic/41865/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The absence of federal mandates be damned, Virginia third-graders will continue an annual rite, searching global maps for regions explored by Juan Ponce de Leon, describing trade in early West Africa and explaining representative democracy&#8217;s origins in ancient Greece, among other tasks.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:01:01 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/no_child_fails_logic/41865/#When:04:01:01Z</guid>
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          <title>Liberty&#8217;s voice falls still, quiet</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/libertys_voice_falls_still_quiet/41828/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The air was thick with anger.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:01:44 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/libertys_voice_falls_still_quiet/41828/#When:04:01:44Z</guid>
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          <title>Afton Mountain could be a showplace off I&#45;64</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/afton_mountain_could_be_a_showplace_off_i-64/41785/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
On Afton Mountain, picture this           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:01:22 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/afton_mountain_could_be_a_showplace_off_i-64/41785/#When:04:01:22Z</guid>
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          <title>Blowback erupts from &#8216;Guns, fear&#8217;</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/blowback_erupts_from_guns_fear/41784/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Another open letter to Nelson Graves:           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:01:12 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/blowback_erupts_from_guns_fear/41784/#When:04:01:12Z</guid>
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          <title>Absent dads spur decline</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/absent_dads_spur_decline/41783/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
For a glimpse of what ails, tickle a keyboard.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:00:59 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/absent_dads_spur_decline/41783/#When:04:00:59Z</guid>
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          <title>Money isn&#8217;t everything</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/money_isnt_everything/41768/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Suze Orman says it. So do the other financial advisors I see in magazines, newspapers and on television. It keeps popping up. The advice is this: Take care of yourself first; only after you are sure that your financial future is secure do you help anyone else.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:01:52 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/money_isnt_everything/41768/#When:04:01:52Z</guid>
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          <title>3 Up, 3 Down</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down4/41767/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This week&#8217;s opinion marketplace           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:01:18 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down4/41767/#When:04:01:18Z</guid>
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          <title>VDOT needs outside look</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/vdot_needs_outside_look/41717/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Government wastes like a fat man breathes, heavier and more frequently with each step. Few agencies are fatter than state departments of transportation, whose waste may be anything but voluntary. Feeding perpetually on taxpayer money, state DOTs are a traditional repository of raw gluttony, with parasitic legions swarming to nibble and sometimes chomp at bounties of billions of dollars. A query that percolates in the commonwealth: Is VDOT different?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:01:46 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/vdot_needs_outside_look/41717/#When:04:01:46Z</guid>
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          <title>A few shots of enlightenment</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/a_few_shots_of_enlightenment/41666/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In a June 11 column (&#8220;Guns, fear being stockpiled&#8221;), Nelson Graves asked to be enlightened concerning some issues that appear to be disturbing for him.

It is with the purpose of enlightening him that I now write, and while I do not have room to respond to all of his concerns, I intend to address the points where he needs enlightenment the most.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:06:38 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/a_few_shots_of_enlightenment/41666/#When:04:06:38Z</guid>
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          <title>Augusta Health shining anew</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/augusta_health_shining_anew/41662/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Gray clouds persist in spreading ethereal gloom, but not in blocking the sun, which shines again today over the central Valley oblivious to conditions meteorological and economic. This time, the light emanates from a familiar source, the Augusta Medical Center, now known as Augusta Health. The regional hospital, which long has prospered in the vanished wake of a clash over its emergence, is on the move.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:01:39 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/augusta_health_shining_anew/41662/#When:04:01:39Z</guid>
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          <title>Three cheers for government</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/three_cheers_for_government/41663/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I hear daily, as do most of you, that the &#8220;government&#8221; is the enemy. Conservative radio talking heads, most leading Republicans and conservatives and a great many Independents all complain about the government interfering in their lives.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:01:14 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/three_cheers_for_government/41663/#When:04:01:14Z</guid>
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          <title>GOP has biz, and a riddle</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/gop_has_biz_and_a_riddle/41585/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Presumptions that prevail tell us that when business calls, Democrats answer with hard flicks to the nose and Republicans with coos.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:01:04 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/gop_has_biz_and_a_riddle/41585/#When:04:01:04Z</guid>
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          <title>Obamacare needs reform</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/obamacare_needs_reform/41555/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Reggie Love, a former Duke University basketball team captain and a fellow who wears the look of one who can take care of himself, emerged last month from a session on the hardwood with his boss and a few pals sporting a bandage on his chin.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:01:39 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/obamacare_needs_reform/41555/#When:04:01:39Z</guid>
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          <title>What I learned in seventh grade</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/what_i_learned_in_seventh_grade/41512/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
To quote the great philosopher Alice Cooper, &#8220;School&#8217;s out for summer.&#8221;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:01:58 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/what_i_learned_in_seventh_grade/41512/#When:04:01:58Z</guid>
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          <title>Greed not the only culprit</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/greed_not_the_only_culprit/41514/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
It is the particular gift of political stars to feel pulses and tap them.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:01:18 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/greed_not_the_only_culprit/41514/#When:04:01:18Z</guid>
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          <title>County should define job first</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/county_should_define_job_first/41513/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Regarding The News Virginian&#8217;s Friday editorial, &#8220;Firing shots at the shadows,&#8221; I won&#8217;t enter into the good editor&#8217;s fray as to the reasons for my contrariness.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:01:01 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/county_should_define_job_first/41513/#When:04:01:01Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Experience does matter on court</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/experience_does_matter_on_court/41491/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I am tempted to take a vacation from the news.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:01:53 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/experience_does_matter_on_court/41491/#When:04:01:53Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Sentence far more severe than crime</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/sentence_far_more_severe_than_crime/41490/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Please do not commit a crime anywhere, especially in Waynesboro.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:01:53 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/sentence_far_more_severe_than_crime/41490/#When:04:01:53Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Three Up; Three Down</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/three_up_three_down36/41492/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
THIS WEEK&#8217;S OPINION MARKETPLACE           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:01:47 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/three_up_three_down36/41492/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Firing shots at the shadows</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/firing_shots_at_the_shadows/41432/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
There Tracy Pyles goes again, standing with crossed arms, chin jutted skyward and his back to Augusta County supervisors, his fellows in name only.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:01:54 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/firing_shots_at_the_shadows/41432/#When:04:01:54Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Taking a test, setting a path</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/taking_a_test_setting_a_path/41359/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Barack Obama, a reserve of steamy rhetorical air, will supply to Virginia&#8217;s Democratic gubernatorial candidate a mighty wind, whether it pushes, pulls or breaks is a thing to be determined.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:01:24 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/taking_a_test_setting_a_path/41359/#When:04:01:24Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Guns, fear being stockpiled</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/guns_fear_being_stockpiled/41358/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Recent reports indicate gun sales are going through the roof.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:01:21 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/guns_fear_being_stockpiled/41358/#When:04:01:21Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Deeds colors vote rural blue</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/deeds_colors_vote_rural_blue/41305/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
From the Bath County backwoods and the malaise of quiet left in the wake of Barack Obama&#8217;s clamorous presidential ascension, R. Creigh Deeds emerged Tuesday as the Democratic nominee for governor.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:01:13 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/deeds_colors_vote_rural_blue/41305/#When:04:01:13Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Will money cure blues?</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/will_money_cure_blues/41266/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Having maintained precedent, Terry McAuliffe seeks today to batter it and in November to swing a shattering blow.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:01:12 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/will_money_cure_blues/41266/#When:04:01:12Z</guid>
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          <title>A feast only if city moves</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/a_feast_only_if_city_moves/41198/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Manna descends, carrying with it the same hazards as the sweet-tasting stuff of biblical lore.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:01:50 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/a_feast_only_if_city_moves/41198/#When:04:01:50Z</guid>
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          <title>How reliable are juries?</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/how_reliable_are_juries/41197/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In reference to a story Wednesday in The News Virginian (&#8220;Judge upholds 22-year sentence for embezzlement&#8221;), where a jury recommended almost 23 years in prison for a woman convicted of embezzlement, the sentence was upheld by the judge.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:01:47 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/how_reliable_are_juries/41197/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>Sotomayor not the right candidate</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/sotomayor_not_the_right_candidate/41196/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Judge Sonia Sotomayor should not be confirmed to the Supreme Court.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:01:23 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/sotomayor_not_the_right_candidate/41196/#When:04:01:23Z</guid>
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          <title>Heroes are in our midst</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/heroes_are_in_our_midst/41195/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Waynesboro has heroes.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:01:16 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/heroes_are_in_our_midst/41195/#When:04:01:16Z</guid>
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          <title>Prosecute the policymakers</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/prosecute_the_policymakers/41194/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I fully understand concern about showing more of the despicable acts that were carried out in our name.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:01:11 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/prosecute_the_policymakers/41194/#When:04:01:11Z</guid>
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          <title>Newspaper industry blowed up</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/newspaper_industry_blowed_up/41193/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Newspapers are in trouble.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:01:09 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/newspaper_industry_blowed_up/41193/#When:04:01:09Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>3 Up 3 Down</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down3/41168/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This week&#8217;s opinion marketplace           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:01:36 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down3/41168/#When:04:01:36Z</guid>
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          <title>Ike Godsey lives ... at Food Lion</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/ike_godsey_lives_..._at_food_lion/41169/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
There are a lot of jobs I know nothing about. I am not talking about astrophysicist. I am talking about jobs that are right here where I live. I have known people in law enforcement, but I have never known personally a bail bonds person. I don&#8217;t even know exactly how that business works. I have known people who managed restaurants, but I have never known a person who owned a fast-food franchise. My maternal grandfather was a foreman for road building crews before I was born, but I have never known anyone in road building or paving. I have known people who wrote books, but I have never known anyone in the publishing industry. I have had students who worked as cashiers in grocery stores, but I have never known anyone in grocery store management despite spending a ridiculous amount of time shopping for food. Never until today, that is.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:01:33 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/ike_godsey_lives_..._at_food_lion/41169/#When:04:01:33Z</guid>
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          <title>Nation neglects its heritage</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/nation_neglects_its_heritage/41110/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
We are a nation who has lost our way and no one is willing to point out how we got off course. If I have a &#8216;prized watch&#8217; that&#8217;s broke I would take it back to the original &#8220;watchmaker&#8221; and get it fixed. No one wants to point out what needs to be done to fix it, and what needs to be done to get this nation back on course.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:01:57 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/nation_neglects_its_heritage/41110/#When:04:01:57Z</guid>
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          <title>Deeds deserves your vote Tuesday</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/deeds_deserves_your_vote_tuesday/41108/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I am asking that you support Sen. Creigh Deeds in Tuesday&#8217;s Democratic primary.

Creigh is a friend. When I had my period of illness, Creigh was there. He called, he cared and he wanted to help.&nbsp; When our sons would go against each other in soccer at Buffalo Gap and Bath County, he would be there. We would stand by the fences being dads supporting and yelling for our kids. He is a man who is traditional enough to still have his pastor over for supper but current enough to know the need to author legislation like Megan&#8217;s Law.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:01:54 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/deeds_deserves_your_vote_tuesday/41108/#When:04:01:54Z</guid>
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          <title>GOP faces test of principles</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/gop_faces_test_of_principles/41106/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
A rough ride to recovery or further recession into the political backwaters advances Tuesday from trot to canter for Republicans here and elsewhere. This places upon the shoulders of the GOP&#8217;s carefully coiffed Virginia gubernatorial candidate a burden of hope that he so far appears able to carry though his party falters.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:01:05 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/gop_faces_test_of_principles/41106/#When:04:01:05Z</guid>
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          <title>Hey, righties, give Obama a chance</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/hey_righties_give_obama_a_chance/41046/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When George W. Bush was selected president (elected if you&#8217;re a conservative or a Republican), I was displeased, to say the least. Even so, I resisted immediately criticizing him. I figured he deserved at least a year&#8217;s time in office to get his bearings and feet wet.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:01:58 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/hey_righties_give_obama_a_chance/41046/#When:04:01:58Z</guid>
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          <title>An end looms, but of what?</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/an_end_looms_but_of_what/41045/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In the unsafe but sure world of Hollywood horror, faith in the resurrection is empirical: the bad guy always rises from the dead. Life adds a twist: sometimes the bad guy wins. That scenario plays on continuous loop in another world, that of the blogosphere where conspiracy theorists hover and are dismissed. Still, a peek inside, revealing a bogeyman stirring, troubles.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:01:03 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/an_end_looms_but_of_what/41045/#When:04:01:03Z</guid>
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          <title>It&#8217;s all in the interpretation</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/its_all_in_the_interpretation/40973/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Ascending again from originalism&#8217;s detritus is a method of opposition leftists are credited with originating but, in the case of Sonia Sotomayor, suddenly scorn.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:01:09 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/its_all_in_the_interpretation/40973/#When:04:01:09Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Conspiracies form foul air</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/conspiracies_form_foul_air/40928/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Aromas wafting from Washington bear a semblance to things bears do in the woods, acts that disturb olfactory sensibilities but don&#8217;t surprise much.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:01:25 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/conspiracies_form_foul_air/40928/#When:04:01:25Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Dreaming of auctions, monkeys</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/dreaming_of_auctions_monkeys/40865/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I love a good auction, especially when they clean out a dead guy&#8217;s house, haul his stuff into the yard and let his friends and neighbors fight over it. 

I got a pair of snow tires that way.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2009 00:01:57 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/dreaming_of_auctions_monkeys/40865/#When:04:01:57Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>The river can save us</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/the_river_can_save_us/40864/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
T.S. Eliot, occasionally ill at ease within himself and a chronicler of the phenomenon, wrote of the Mississippi, &#8220;The river is within us.&#8221; What then might the poet say of Waynesboro, where a river snakes and is eyed suspiciously, as if coiled and ready to strike?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2009 00:01:04 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/the_river_can_save_us/40864/#When:04:01:04Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>3 Up 3 Down</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down2/40834/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This week&#8217;s opinion marketplace           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2009 00:30:55 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down2/40834/#When:04:30:55Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Oh deer, what a feast</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/oh_deer_what_a_feast/40835/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Every once in awhile I decide to eat everything in my refrigerator except the mustard, chow chow and salad dressings so I can start fresh. It is spring, so I decided a spring cleaning of the refrigerator was in order.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2009 00:30:03 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/oh_deer_what_a_feast/40835/#When:04:30:03Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>At Liberty to take a stand</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/at_liberty_to_take_a_stand/40766/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Nothing so confounds in the present day like an insistence on the part of those hewing right of the tolerance crowd to act on views deemed intolerable. Jerry Falwell Jr., son of and successor to Liberty University founder, has done the unthinkable in dropping the College Democrats chapter as an official club. The subsequent piercing shrieks of horror likely were enough to stir Falwell&#8217;s father, though not enough to turn him in his grave. Surely, he would have been pleased.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2009 00:01:32 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/at_liberty_to_take_a_stand/40766/#When:04:01:32Z</guid>
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          <title>Gitmo, the economic driver</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/gitmo_the_economic_driver/40654/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
One of President Barack Obama&#8217;s campaign pledges was to close the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He&#8217;s since kept that pledge and recently requested $80 million from Congress to do so. The U.S. Senate&#8217;s 90-6 vote, in a rare bipartisan effort, refused to provide funding for Gitmo&#8217;s closure thus handing him his first major political setback as president.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2009 00:01:01 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/gitmo_the_economic_driver/40654/#When:04:01:01Z</guid>
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          <title>Hope requires leaders to act</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/hope_requires_leaders_to_act/40653/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Leo Tolstoy famously observed a telling distinction between happy and unhappy families. It is reversed for towns: Unhappy towns are all alike, but every happy town is each happy in its own way. Well, almost. Some ingredients are common, but less so the mixes that stir towns to life. That which rouses one community might not rouse another.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:59 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/hope_requires_leaders_to_act/40653/#When:04:00:59Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Firing words without sting</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/firing_words_without_sting/40625/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Perhaps having been suitably perturbed by its previous inanity while attempting to flex nuclear muscle &#8211; a missile launch last month failed in the middle of three phases &#8211; North Korea hitched its drab-green britches, shook fists and pressed buttons again over the holiday weekend.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 00:01:03 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/firing_words_without_sting/40625/#When:04:01:03Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>A warrior&#8217;s spirit endures unbroken</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/a_warriors_spirit_endures_unbroken1/40560/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In the wee-hour darkness, the stocky young colonel stood on an earthen mound gazing into the faces of the 750 warriors before him.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2009 00:01:27 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/a_warriors_spirit_endures_unbroken1/40560/#When:04:01:27Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Showering at work would have downside</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/showering_at_work_would_have_downside/40536/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Will a midday shower at work result in more creative, productive (and fresher smelling) employees?            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2009 00:01:52 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/showering_at_work_would_have_downside/40536/#When:04:01:52Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Hey, city! It&#8217;s time to rise</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/hey_city_its_time_to_rise/40537/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Recipes for stirring angst seldom are written in the simple form of, say, a recipe, but most people clearly know how to do it.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2009 00:01:08 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/hey_city_its_time_to_rise/40537/#When:04:01:08Z</guid>
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          <title>Credit cards reap rewards of entrapment</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/credit_cards_reap_rewards_of_entrapment/40516/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
People who pay their credit card bills every month feel aggrieved, because if the restructuring of the credit card industry goes through, they will mostly likely be required to pay annual fees. They say it&#8217;s unfair to punish the &#8220;good&#8221; people who pay every month. Now the responsible people will be punished while the irresponsible people will pay less.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2009 00:01:50 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/credit_cards_reap_rewards_of_entrapment/40516/#When:04:01:50Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>3 Up, 3 Down</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down1/40515/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This Week&#8217;s Opinion Marketplace           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2009 00:01:37 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down1/40515/#When:04:01:37Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Cheer projects, and push them</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/cheer_projects_and_push_them/40465/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Drawing horses and cattle from the nether reaches of fields frequently involves the fine art of rattling feed in buckets. Drawing homeowners from the nether reaches of living rooms is a tad more detailed, frequently involving plans for developing neighboring property. At least cows can&#8217;t carry torches.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 00:01:28 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/cheer_projects_and_push_them/40465/#When:04:01:28Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Tuning out, plugging in</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/tuning_out_plugging_in/40406/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Government helps in the manner of a gentleman pugilist, with a hand up and a fist to the face. American carmakers, as have some farmers, are learning to beware the first hand as much as the second.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 00:01:51 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/tuning_out_plugging_in/40406/#When:04:01:51Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>A plea to taxpayers: Demand lower rate</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/a_plea_to_taxpayers_demand_lower_rate/40410/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Notice to Waynesboro taxpayers: We cannot afford another tax increase.

We&#8217;re already paying more in taxes on water, sewer and garbage through higher rates and fee charges.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 00:01:49 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/a_plea_to_taxpayers_demand_lower_rate/40410/#When:04:01:49Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Churchill&#8217;s words of 1938 still ring true</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/churchills_words_of_1938_still_ring_true/40408/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
On Oct. 6, 1938, Sir Winston Churchill made a speech pertaining to the Munich Agreement with Germany. I have paraphrased it in a portrayal of today&#8217;s U.S. economy:

&#8220;Our loyal and brave people should know that there has been gross neglect in the way we do business. They should know that we are sustaining unending wars, the consequence of which will travel far with us along our road. They should know that we have passed a milestone (stimulus package) in our history when the whole financial equilibrium of our country has been deranged and that terrible words for the time being have been pronounced pertaining to our economy.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 00:01:33 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/churchills_words_of_1938_still_ring_true/40408/#When:04:01:33Z</guid>
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          <title>Need persists for NAACP</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/need_persists_for_naacp/40407/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP and every once in awhile somebody questions the relevance of that great organization. Its name originated those many years ago when African Americans were referred to as Colored People and the organization aimed to level America&#8217;s economic opportunity and equal justice playing fields.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 00:01:01 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/need_persists_for_naacp/40407/#When:04:01:01Z</guid>
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          <title>Rush into socialism reflects historic shifts</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/rush_into_socialism_reflects_historic_shifts/40409/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Never have so many, having been given so much, done so little to stop the plundering of their nation. Our financial system and investments are being destroyed. Washington incompetence is also subversive, rewarding financial fraud and punishing the productive private sector. The government can&#8217;t manage Social Security but now will run the auto industry, energy and health care. The U.S. Constitution is violated every day by unauthorized nationalization, power grabbing, manipulation and control.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/rush_into_socialism_reflects_historic_shifts/40409/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Soft&#45;selling a raw deal</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/soft-selling_a_raw_deal/40342/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Somehow, amid the thundering of hooves shod in loafers and heels, Pat Berrang managed to turn from the precipice to which he was herded by a plan to snatch away his General Motors franchise in Waynesboro.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 00:01:05 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/soft-selling_a_raw_deal/40342/#When:04:01:05Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>The &#8216;real&#8217; deal</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/the_real_deal/40224/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When Arlen Specter announced that he was leaving the Republican Party, it seemed first and foremost like an attempt at self-preservation. He didn&#8217;t think he could win the Republican primary in Pennsylvania because his party had moved too far to the right to elect him, so he became a Democrat. Simple. Or maybe not so simple.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2009 00:01:05 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/the_real_deal/40224/#When:04:01:05Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>What a pair</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/what_a_pair/40094/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I anxiously awaited the comments and opinions of former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday morning on CBS&#8217;s &#8220;Face the Nation.&#8221; What he said ran the gamut &#8211; predictable, stubborn, unapologetic and non-forgiving. One of his emanations, though, if true, indicates that his boss and America&#8217;s former president was a liar.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2009 00:01:31 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/what_a_pair/40094/#When:04:01:31Z</guid>
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          <title>Miss America, Miss USA are not the same thing</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/miss_america_miss_usa_are_not_the_same_thing/40093/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In her May 10 letter (&#8220;Hooray for free speech&#8221;), Kathryn Bass references the Miss America Organization in her comments about the controversy over Miss California&#8217;s gay-marriage statement. However, having once volunteered with the MAO on a local level, I would like to respectfully point out that Miss America actually had nothing to do with this situation.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2009 00:01:30 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/miss_america_miss_usa_are_not_the_same_thing/40093/#When:04:01:30Z</guid>
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          <title>Buckle up for safety</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/buckle_up_for_safety/40091/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
As spring and summer approach and we get out more, we tend to drive more. As such, it is time to focus on the use of seatbelts and child-safety seats across our area. From May 18-31, the Augusta County Sheriff&#8217;s Office will join with law enforcement agencies across Virginia and the nation to crack down on all motorists breaking traffic laws, with an emphasis on seatbelt and child-safety seat use. Special checkpoints and other stepped-up law enforcement activities will be held throughout this Click It or Ticket mobilization.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2009 00:01:13 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/buckle_up_for_safety/40091/#When:04:01:13Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>It&#8217;s tough to disconnect</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/its_tough_to_disconnect/39917/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I should cut the cord, but I&#8217;m finding it difficult to do so.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2009 00:01:41 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/its_tough_to_disconnect/39917/#When:04:01:41Z</guid>
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          <title>Support Creigh Deeds</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/support_creigh_deeds/39915/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I&#8217;ve known state Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County, since 1991.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2009 00:01:37 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/support_creigh_deeds/39915/#When:04:01:37Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Hooray for free speech</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/hooray_for_free_speech/39914/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Kudos to Joseph D. Snodgrass, of Stuarts Draft, for his support of free speech (&#8220;A crown of thorns rewards free speech,&#8221; April 23).           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2009 00:01:31 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/hooray_for_free_speech/39914/#When:04:01:31Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Kiss it goodbye</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/kiss_it_goodbye/39910/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This is a letter of facts, reality, and not given to emotionalism.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2009 00:01:30 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/kiss_it_goodbye/39910/#When:04:01:30Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>A plea: Get city moving</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/a_plea_get_city_moving/39909/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
As the sheen beams brighter in the mecca known as Waynesboro&#8217;s West End, gloom thickens downtown.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2009 00:01:27 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/a_plea_get_city_moving/39909/#When:04:01:27Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>The Great American Mothering Contest</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/the_great_american_mothering_contest/39889/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Americans are so competitive!           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2009 12:01:10 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/the_great_american_mothering_contest/39889/#When:16:01:10Z</guid>
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          <title>Three Up; Three Down</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/three_up_three_down35/39890/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
THIS WEEK&#8217;S OPINION MARKETPLACE           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2009 00:01:07 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/three_up_three_down35/39890/#When:04:01:07Z</guid>
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          <title>Lost in the wilderness</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/lost_in_the_wilderness/39843/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
What passes for a sage in Maine, Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, observed, &#8220;Ideological purity is not the ticket to the promised land.&#8221;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2009 00:01:34 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/lost_in_the_wilderness/39843/#When:04:01:34Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Simpler things deserve closer look</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/simpler_things_deserve_closer_look/39767/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Springtime is upon us and directs our imaginations and minds toward vacations.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2009 00:01:48 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/simpler_things_deserve_closer_look/39767/#When:04:01:48Z</guid>
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          <title>Cinema plan stirs new hope</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/cinema_plan_stirs_new_hope/39766/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Developers seldom inspire public esteem perhaps because their purpose is principally to make money, which once was a socially acceptable objective in a free-market society but in recent decades has devolved into Hollywood caricature.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2009 00:01:12 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/cinema_plan_stirs_new_hope/39766/#When:04:01:12Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Cinema project a good show</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/cinema_project_a_good_show/39788/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The plan led by local developer Bill Hausrath to bring a 12-screen cinema along with retail, offices and housing to the West End is a jolt of good news and a demonstration of the entrepreneurial spirit needed to kindle economic recovery.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2009 00:01:02 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/cinema_project_a_good_show/39788/#When:04:01:02Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Obama locks doors to hope</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/obama_locks_doors_to_hope/39717/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Benjamin Franklin found many of his countrymen despicable but none quite so like the pretenders huddled in government halls: &#8220;A publick Hypocrite every day deceives his betters, and makes them Ignorant Trumpeters of his supposed Godliness.&#8221;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2009 00:01:55 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/obama_locks_doors_to_hope/39717/#When:04:01:55Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>After cuts, real work</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/after_cuts_real_work/39623/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Grim Reaper&#8217;s blade has been dulled, but not before making some bloody cuts.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2009 00:01:44 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/after_cuts_real_work/39623/#When:04:01:44Z</guid>
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          <title>Catch the virus?</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/catch_the_virus/39622/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
May 11-15 is National Etiquette Week, and this year&#8217;s theme, &#8220;Catch the Manners Virus!&#8221; was undoubtedly selected before the global outbreak of swine flu.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2009 00:01:40 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/catch_the_virus/39622/#When:04:01:40Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Finding light in dark world</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/finding_light_in_dark_world/39592/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
A perennial has poked up its little shoot in the last week. This one is not in my yard. It is in my newspaper. Song lyrics are back in the news. A concerned parent raised the issue after hearing offensive music being played at a middle school dance (&#8220;Parent: Lewd songs played at school,&#8221; April 27). No matter what the school decides, there is no escaping toxic pop culture. It isn&#8217;t just song lyrics. It is the anorexic models on the television show &#8220;Project Runway.&#8221; It is clothing for girls that makes them look like hookers. It is a culture that celebrates money and fame over character. I could go on, and so could you.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2009 00:01:36 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/columnists/article/finding_light_in_dark_world/39592/#When:04:01:36Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>3 Up, 3 Down</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down/39591/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This week&#8217;s opinion marketplace           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2009 00:01:20 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/3_up_3_down/39591/#When:04:01:20Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>A mandate without funds</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/a_mandate_without_funds/39566/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Few favored phrases in the political parlance can match frequency with the dread &#8220;unfunded mandate,&#8221; a cry that rises whenever government imposes with one hand while leaving closed the one clutching the money. Responses from school officials to the words &#8220;No Child Left Behind,&#8221; for example, are patellar: Utter the phrase, and the knee jerks with the bleat: &#8220;Unfunded mandate.&#8221; So now Republicans have picked up the linguistic hinge on which Democratic money reaches commonly swing.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2009 00:01:52 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/editorials/article/a_mandate_without_funds/39566/#When:04:01:52Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Give thanks for teachers</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/give_thanks_for_teachers/39468/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
May 5 is National Teacher Day. Thank a teacher for making school great! Teachers in Waynesboro and in communities across the nation will be in the spotlight on National Teacher Day, as students, parents, school administrators and the general public learn how teachers are making public schools great for every student.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:01:57 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/give_thanks_for_teachers/39468/#When:04:01:57Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>A showing of arrogance, incompetence</title>
          <link>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/a_showing_of_arrogance_incompetence/39467/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I am sure you were as distressed as I was upon learning from the recent publication of the Obamas&#8217; tax returns that their income took a decided downturn from that of the previous year when the revenue from books such as &#8220;The Audacity of Hope&#8221; were rolling in.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:01:40 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/a_showing_of_arrogance_incompetence/39467/#When:04:01:40Z</guid>
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